Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Has $2.51 Million Stake in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC trimmed its position in shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS) by 74.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,812 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 158,464 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC’s holdings in CVS Health were worth $2,505,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in CVS Health by 4.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,434,476 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $90,200,000 after buying an additional 66,244 shares in the last quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee grew its stake in CVS Health by 25,484.4% during the fourth quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee now owns 11,513 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $517,000 after buying an additional 11,468 shares in the last quarter. B&D White Capital Company LLC bought a new position in shares of CVS Health in the fourth quarter worth about $417,000. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 7,302 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Seizert Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 22.8% in the fourth quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 569,527 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $25,566,000 after acquiring an additional 105,708 shares during the last quarter. 80.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CVS Health Stock Performance

Shares of CVS opened at $64.91 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.57. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $66.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.75. CVS Health Co. has a 12 month low of $43.56 and a 12 month high of $71.45.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.30. CVS Health had a net margin of 1.24% and a return on equity of 9.11%. As a group, analysts predict that CVS Health Co. will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

CVS Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.665 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.10%. CVS Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.68%.

Insider Activity

In other CVS Health news, Director Michael F. Mahoney bought 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $66.70 per share, for a total transaction of $2,001,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 39,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,625,045.20. The trade was a 320.65 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP James David Clark sold 7,513 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.35, for a total transaction of $498,487.55. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,394 shares in the company, valued at $556,941.90. This represents a 47.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of CVS Health from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of CVS Health from $51.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of CVS Health in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of CVS Health from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Edward Jones raised shares of CVS Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CVS Health has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.83.

About CVS Health

CVS Health Corporation provides health solutions in the United States. It operates through Health Care Benefits, Health Services, and Pharmacy & Consumer Wellness segments. The Health Care Benefits segment offers traditional, voluntary, and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services.